This is going to sound harsh. You’ve been lying to yourself. It’s ugly and true. Here are five lame excuses stopping interior design success for you.
Actually, there are probably a lot more excuses, I’m just going to dish up the really obvious ones that I hear from my design coaching clients regularly.
(At least until they take ownership and kick these excuses stopping interior design to the curb!)
These are the rationalizations you’re leveraging for not getting ahead, not making progress, and failing to grab that brass ring of success that you said you wanted.
Let’s start with my favorite and the most common excuse stopping interior design success.
#1 You need a website makeover.
And you don’t have the resources to make that happen. Nonsense! There are hordes of totally affordable virtual providers through sites including Fiverr.com and Upwork.com. And if you need a whole new site you can check out wix.com, square.com or strikingly.com for free templates and pull it together with nothing more than your time and effort involved.
You’ve also got the option of getting up on Houzz (don’t pay for that by the way) and as a side benefit, getting a free website. They have push button easy templates that will take your profile and turn it into a good looking design site at the push of a button. We just blasted through those excuses stopping interior design success!
Stop lying to yourself, this is not why you aren’t a success. Clients don’t buy your website, they buy you. And frankly, unless you have invested in SEO, it’s unlikely they’ll find your site first. They’ll go to it after they’ve met you and feel a connection.
#2 You aren’t connected to the right crowd.
Total rubbish. You can become connected by attending key industry events. Introduce yourself to the movers and shakers in design. Next up is to attend high level social events where you live. Think charity events, serving on a philanthropic committee, selected volunteer work. You get the idea.
You can be as connected as you want to be by getting involved in your local community. When you are in service to others, those others sit up and notice you. We just blasted through those excuses stopping interior design success!
Stop lying to yourself, this is way too easy to change with a bit of effort. In fact, in just 30-90 days of focused networking, volunteering, and getting genuinely involved in your local community you will be recognized as a mover and shaker.
#3 You don’t have money to invest in marketing.
You don’t need it. The best marketing you can do is entirely free both online and in person networking. Create conversations with people who can hire you to deliver your difference, who will hire you to solve their problem.
Did you know that interior design is all about solving problems of health, wealth, and relationship? Okay, that’s detail for another post, but trust me, you are a master problem solver!
Stop making excuses stopping your interior design success. While there are lots of ways to market that cost money there are plenty that don’t cost a dime, they require your time and effort instead. And you’ll avoid wasting a lot of money on methods that are all fluff and no substance.
#4 There’s too much competition.
That’s ridiculous! Competition is validation that you are in an active market, that’s a good thing. And competition gives you something to rise above, something to differentiate yourself from. Give up the excuses stopping interior design success.
Stop lying to yourself, you have the talent, the experience, and the expertise to trounce the competition so stop focusing on it and start showing your market what you’re made of.
#5 Your market is filled with nickel and dimers and cheapskates.
Ah the curse of temporary business insanity. Every product or service exists at multiple levels from the Walmart level to the Neiman Marcus level, from bargain basement to considerable investment. Where do you want to be? If you are attracting only the bargain basement buyers look at your offerings, examine your expectation, check out your presentation.
Stop lying to yourself that your market is filled with nickel and dimers, instead realize that you are attracting what you expect and who you have designed your service or product for. Redesign will change who you attract.
When you are tired of making excuses and ready to rocket forward, I’d like to help.
Snag a complimentary Prosper by Design session HERE.
Your success and happiness matter to me and I’m betting I’ve been where you are and can provide some key guidance and strategies to rocket you forward. Give up the excuses stopping interior design success.
